Air Modeling for State Implementation Plan Development

State Implementation Plan Development

The State Implementation Plan (SIP) identifies how the state will attain and maintain the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The SIP is a requirement of the Clean Air Act for each state and is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The SIP is a living document containing all control measures and strategies necessary to attain and maintain the NAAQS, including infrastructure requirements. The SIP is updated regularly through a public process. Many of the updates and revisions to the SIP require a technical analysis demonstrating that the proposed plan will achieve the desired result. This is often done using air quality modeling to predict future concentrations of air pollutants based on the control strategy outlined in the SIP revision. The Division of Air Resource Management’s Air Modeling and Data Analysis Group provides modeling support for a variety of SIP technical demonstrations. A few examples are provided below.

• Nassau SO2 Nonattainment Area Plan
• Hillsborough SO2 Nonattainment Area Plan